The Apple Store is the one at Cambridgeside Galleria (It's like Woodlands Causeway Point packed with the type of stores you find at VivoCity).

I had made an online reservation to attend an Ipad Business workshop from 0900hrs to 1000hrs. Having little experience with Mac software, I wanted to find out more about whether it was worthwhile to download Pages, Keynote and Numbers for my Ipad. Each of them cost $9.99 at the App Store.

Its storefront is totally dominated by Ipad advertising. They are using a Vulcan (Zachary Quinto of the new Star Trek) to sell the product so I guess the Ipad is out-of-this-world :)

I was quite impressed by Keynote more than the other two apps. I've been using Powerpoint for years and it's refreshing to see new transition effects, templates, layouts and font type. Keynote is way cooler if you want to make your presentation stand out from your windows brethren. I could get these apps once I rejoin the workforce and have a better idea what I'll be doing.

However, what has impressed me for some time and I took the opportunity to explore here was the Credit Card Processing capabilities of the Iphone and Ipad.

The cool credit card swipe system used by Apple retail store staff is proprietary but the viable corporate option for SMEs/SMBs (that's Small & Medium Enterprises or Businesses) is to use Square (Free) or Payware (US150). Both systems sell a small credit card scanner that can be snapped onto the Iphone. There are no leasing fees for the scanner but they charge on a per-transaction basis. These are good solutions that can generate cost-savings for retailers with low to medium volume of transactions. Useful to know alternatives to the traditional point-of-sale registers for any start-ups that I might want to set-up in future :)

In the US, it's really between ordering online from apple.com or going down to an apple store to shop for one. In my case, it was the mall because I wanted to be able to return the Ipad to the store if there were any problems with it, and not have to go through with returns over the post.

But I had to call the retail store ahead of time and be put on a wait list.

Your iPad will be here before you know it. Keep an eye out for an email from us letting you know it's ready to pick up. When you come in, we'll have Specialists ready to help you set up your iPad so you can start enjoying it right away. We look forward to seeing you at the store.Sincerely,The Apple Retail Store teamRequested Item(s)1 iPad Wi-Fi 32GB

$599.00

And I received a notification a few days later:

The iPad you've been waiting for has arrived, and it's ready for you to pick up. When you come in, we'll have Specialists ready to help you set up your iPad so you can start enjoying it right away. We can't wait to see you at the store.Sincerely,The Apple Retail Store teamReservation ExpiresTuesday, May 18Pickup LocationApple Store, CambridgeSide

And voila, I joined the elite group of Singaporeans who now own a ginormous Ipod Touch!